Gotham: Year of the Hacker
by Torm Wyndaru
Summary: Gotham has been the site of many urban wars. The Mob, drugs, poverty, corruption, and many more yet to be seen. One man, a lone genius in a sea of orphans, will use his skills to find the truth behind Gotham City and protect the people he cares for. Why? Because sometimes a city like Gotham doesn't need a hero. It needs an agent of chaos and truth. It needs a Hacker.
1. Episode 1: Introductions

**Before I begin, I want to give a shout out to TEDOG, who I name "The Father of the Selina x OC Ship!" You've got cool ideas, especially with this pairing, but I have to be honest when I say you need some help. For your 3 current Gotham stories, I can't even begin to count the number of grammatical errors I find and sometimes your plot can be really...out there. Like the moment where you had your OC, Sean, lead the GCPDs Special Task Force, it's not very realistic. If anything, it feels more like a cartoon if anything. I hope you don't take this the wrong way, you've got neat ideas, but what you really need is a Beta reader who can look over your writing before you post to help fix these issues so others won't criticize you on them!**

 **Now, it's my time to shine! Please share what you think with a Review, Favorite, or Follow and I'll be sure to keep writing chapters as best as I can! So, please enjoy!**

* * *

 _ **Gotham: Year of the Hacker**_

 _ **Episode 1: Introductions**_

* * *

"...And stay out, you cheat!"

With a heave, three of the many wasted occupants of Fish Mooney's night club threw a young boy out into the wet and rainy streets of Gotham. As the poor kid hit the pavement, a few of the more adventurous drunkards gave a few kicks to his stomach, making the boy groan in agony and pain. Laughing at his misfortune, the drunks went back into the night club and the boy struggled to get back onto his feet, but with a slight smirk on his face. He felt around underneath the thin black jacket he wore over a torn up gray tank-top and pulled out three, measly wallets that he took from the drunks while they were carrying him out of the club. As he put the wallets safely into his own pocket, he said to himself,

"Well, not a bad haul. Might just be able to actually _buy_ something from the Flea this time!"

The injured boy limped slowly down the long streets of the Theater district as other low and middle-class citizens bustled by with groceries, kids, and other small activities that the boy had little chance to do himself because of his...economic standing. To be frank, it's cause he's drop-dead broke. But did this stop him? Not in the slightest! He held his head high as he walked passed them, but once again lowered it because it started to make his stomach hurt more from the earlier blows. He turned into an alleyway and was about to climb onto one of the fire escape ladders when he heard the soft sound of crying echo throughout the alley.

The boy looked around, trying to find the source, until he saw a small, cardboard box on one side of the alley shake slightly each time a rain drop landed on it. He went over to the box and went down on a knee, regardless of the pain, to open up the box. Slightly gasping, he saw a small girl, no more then 6 years old, shivering from the cold as she tightly held onto a small toy that looked like a rough version of a cat. She had dark, curly hair with striking green eyes, and she wore nothing more than what looked to be a potato sack with holes for arms, legs, and her head. The boy whispered,

"Hi there..."

The girl gasped at his words and try to bury herself deeper into the box, clutching her cat doll even harder then before.

"No no no, I don't want to hurt you!", the boy reassured, "My name's Rick. What's yours?"

The girl melted a bit from her scare as she looked into the boy's brown eyes, which reminded her of chocolate that she saw the rich kids eat as she watched them from afar. She muttered very softly, almost impossible for Rick to hear, but she said,

"S-S-Selina."

"Hi there, Selina, it's nice to meet you!"

Selina flinched at Rick's excitement, which Rick noted and continued in a softer voice,

"Do you need some place to stay? I have a place not far from here if you want to check it out with me."

Hopeful, Selina slowly stood up from her box and locked eyes with Rick, searching to see if his eyes yielded any lies. She saw nothing, so she gave Rick a small smile and nodded at his request. Rick gave her a smile in return and took her hand as he led her out of the alley and walked with Selina as he guided her to the Flea, his safe haven and the home of many other poor orphans like himself. As they walked, Rick noticed a business man focusing on a newspaper walk closer to the pair from the other side of the street and it gave the boy an idea. He bent down to Selina and whispered,

"Watch this!"

Rick led Selina closer to the business man and 'accidentally' bumped shoulders with him, causing the ordinary citizen to fall to his knees. As he struggled to get up, Rick helped him to his feet while he asked for forgiveness and how he couldn't very well from the rain. Meanwhile, his hands ducked stealthily into the pockets of the business man and he started pulling out a wallet, a ring of keys, a phone, and was close to getting the man's silver watch until he bustled through Rick in a hurry and almost knocked Selina over. Rick watched for a moment as the man continued down the street and then showed his earnings to his new friend while explaining,

"Simple accidents lead to fruitful earnings. A hand here, a pocket there, and that's 50 bucks in your own pocket. Wanna give it a go?"

Selina gave the boy a small smile and pulled out a closed fist. As she opened her fingers, Rick's eyes caught a sudden gleam and they widened when he saw the man's watch that he almost got his hands on! Rick snorted in glee and told her,

"Well well, looks like someone has an in-born skill!"

Selina tilted her head to the side in confusion and asked,

"What's an in-born skill?"

"Well, think about it like this.", Rick replied, "Every person in the world is born different, and because of these differences, some people can do things that others can never do! Like how someone with long legs can be a runner, or like me. You see, I have a rather nice knack for technology. Can't leave me in a room with a computer without me hacking into it! OH, or how your nimble fingers can pick out a watch before your target..."

"HEY! WHERE'S MY STUFF, YOU HOOLIGANS!"

Both kids turned to see the man from before run down the street with an enraged expression on his face and a deep hate in his eyes. Rick claps his hands and continued quickly,

"Right then, let's hurry to the Flea before we get caught, aye? That means, RUN!", and both children began sprinting down the street.

Rick and Selina dodged between pedestrians soliciting in the streets while their persuader was slowing as he pushed his way through the crowd to reach the orphans. Soon, Rick saw a nearby fire escape and grabbed Selina before she could run ahead. He pulled her to the iron ladders and led the two as they quickly climbed to the roof before the business man could spot them. They pulled themselves up onto the roof and peeked over the edge as their pursuer ran past the alleyway all together, causing the two new friends to burst out laughing at their luck. Eventually, Rick picked himself up after catching his breath from running for so long and held out his hand for Selina, who also started calming down as well. Rick said to her,

"Kid, I like you a lot. From just 5 minutes of knowing you, I can already tell a lot about who you really are! You're fearless, fast, nimble, and who knows what else! You know what, I've made up my mind. I'm going to teach you the one thing you have yet to learn in this hell-forsaken city!"

"Teach me what?" Selina asked as she pulled herself up with Rick's hand. He smirked and replied cheerfully,

"How. To. Live. Got it?"

Selina gave her friend, now turned teacher, a nod and a big smile, which quickly melted as she watched Rick turn and run to the edge of the building and then jump to the next roof over. He turned, the smirk still on his face, and yelled to her,

"First lesson, rooftops. Jumping, running, and rolling will get you from one place to another before any cops or such can catch you. Stay close behind me, and we'll make it to the Flea in no time at all!"

* * *

After running and jumping around a mile on top of Gotham's rooftops, Rick leaned over a rooftop that looked over a large but old, broken-down movie theater where he could see various children enter from the emergency exit, the front door, and other nooks and crannies that led inside. Selina approached from behind, completely out of breath from running what felt like the entire length of the city just to get to the theater, which she remembered Rick calling the Flea. He put a hand on her shoulder as she stood beside him and announced to her,

"Welcome to the Flea! The 5-star mall for orphans, riffraff, and teenage delinquents from all over Gotham! Though, I just call it home."

Rick then used both of his hands to vault over the rooftop and began climbing down using window ledges, loose bricks, and other parts of the building he could grasp. In under a minute, he reached the ground and looked up to see Selina looking down at him. He called out,

"Well, are you going to climb down? We don't have much time!"

The young girl gazed down at the height between the rooftop and the ground, and stepped back in fear. Rick sighed and decided to hold out his arms, then calling out,

"C'mon, I'll catch you! You can't stay there forever Selina, so let's get a move on!"

Selina stepped back more, causing Sean to lose sight of her from the ground. Rick sighed and was about to climb back up the building to reach her until he saw her leap through the air, screaming in fear. He rushed backwards, arms open, and waited as Selina landed...right on top of him. When the dust cleared from the landing, Selina found herself sitting on Rick's stomach as he groaned in pain from the added pressure onto himself. She scrambled off of him and asked,

"Are you okay?"

Rick pushed himself up to a sitting position and responded weakly,

"Yeah...I'll be fine...", and he pushed himself up again so he stood up, but he hunched over to help hold in the pain from Selina's landing. Noting this, Selina took Rick's arm and used herself to support him as they walked into the emergency exit of the Flea. They entered into the main theater where the audience's seats were ripped out of their bolts and were replaced by dozens of stalls set up around the room. Rick led Selina to a a stall with several curtained-off rooms and told the girl in charge of the stall,

"40 bucks for some new clothes. My friend here's had a tough time recently, you know?"

The owner nodded and ducked under the stall to grab a plastic bag with a pair of jeans, a t-shirt, ripped up hiking boots, and a single sock. Rick thanked her, took the bag, and led Selina up to the stage and down a set of stairs behind the main curtain, now torn to shreds. At the bottom of the stairs, there was a single wooden cupboard opposite of the stairs. Rick moved over and pushed the cupboard out of the way to reveal an open doorway with even more stairs as he explained to Selina,

"Found this place a while back when the Flea was first opened. No one really knows about it except for me...well, also you now. I hope to get a more secure way to seal it off, but for now, this is all I got."

They walked down the new set of stairs and entered a large basement with a fold-out table in the center of the room with an old computer system on it as well as a keyboard, mouse, and fold-up chair. The only other objects in the room were an old mattress that sat in the corner and a thin blanket on top of it. Rick ran ahead to the fold-out table and called out,

"Welcome to my Basement! I know, pretty meager at the moment, but once I get more money I'm going to turn this place around! A dozen different monitors, an awesome chair, fast computing speeds, a refrigerator..."

As he listed off what we wanted, Rick thought that he heard the soft sound of snoring and turned to see Selina had fallen fast asleep on his mattress with the blanket covering her small body. Rick quickly went quiet and smiled to himself at the scene in front of him. He walked over to her and laid himself down at the opposite end of the mattress to give her some privacy and started feeling sleepy himself. Right before he closed his eyes, he felt something touch his back and he turned his head to find Selina had rolled over in her sleep so she leaned against Rick. She muttered in her sleep, just loud enough for him to hear,

"Rickie...thank...you..."

Rick smiled and patted her head before turning back, saying to himself,

"No Selina...thank you..."

* * *

 **Kinda cheesy ending, but that's how it ended up XD. I really hope you liked this introduction and know that chapters will be longer once they're based on the actual episode instead of what's in my head! I also plan to share a short OC sheet so you'll hopefully understand more of how Rick is and some other necessities about him. So please share what you think with a Review, Favorite, or whatever and I'll be sure to post again soon!**

 **-T.W.**

* * *

 _ **Next Time, on Gotham...**_

* * *

 **"Prisoner 47589A, mail call!"**

 **"It's good to be home!"**

 **"Now where have you been, Cat?"**

 **"Stick with me, and we might just got of this alive..."**

 **"See ya around, coppers!"**


	2. Episode 2: ESC

**Wow, what a US Election! I hope my guys and gals in the USA took the time the vote, cause I can't...I'm underage...it sucks. ANYWAYS, thank you to everyone for their support and I hope you enjoy this new episode of Gotham: Year of the Hacker! As promised, b** **elow you'll see the short character sheet for Rick and then you get to start reading! Please make sure to Review, Favorite, or Follow to show your love!**

 **Name: Richard Hawkins**

 **Age: 16**

 **Hair Color: Brown**

 **Eye Color: Brown**

 **Skills: Freerunner, Pickpocket, Expert Hacker, DJing, Street fighting.**

 **Likes: Computers, Music(Classic Rock, Remixes, and Rap), Inventing, Truth, Courage.**

 **Dislikes: Lies, Corruption, Cowardice, Police.**

* * *

 _ **Gotham: Year of the Hacker**_

 _ **(Episode #: My Chapter/Actual Episode**_

 _ **Episode 2: ESC/Selina Kyle**_

* * *

 _ **Last Time, on Gotham...**_

 **"Hi there, Selina, it's nice to meet you!"**

 **"Every person in the world is born different, and because of these differences, some people can do things that others can never do!"**

 **I'm going to teach you the one thing you have yet to learn in this hell-forsaken city! How. To. Live."**

 **"Rickie...thank...you..."**

 **"No Selina...thank you..."**

* * *

 **Exactly 10 Years Later...**

* * *

In the deepest solitary cell in Gotham's Institute for Juvenile Detention, a young man wearing the orange jumpsuit of the Institute laid on his bed reading a book titled "We Steal Secrets; The History of Wikileaks" when the sound of knocking emitted from thick, steel door that block the boy off from the rest of the world. A deep male voice spoke from the other side and said,

"Prisoner number 47589A, mail call; And please, be decent. I don't want to catch you with your pants down again..."

Sighing, the boy bent a corner of the page he was on and yelled back,

"That was one time, Matt. ONE! DAMN! TIME!"

The whirring of locks sounded from inside of the door for a moment and then immediate stopped when a short ding was heard. The door pulled out and revealed one of the many guards stationed as part of the "Solitary Squad" in the Institute. He walked into the cell and handed the prisoner a letter without a single mark on the envelope. The prisoner noticed this and asked,

"Who's it from?"

"I was hoping that you knew. The warden came up to me and told me to give this to you, then he gave me a stack of cash to keep it quiet. Weird, right?"

The prisoner ignored the guard and continued examining the envelope for more clues on its origin. Taking the hint, the guard sighed and turned to leave the cell. Before closing the door, the guard said kindly,

"You have a good night, 47589A."

As the door closed, the prisoner called back with a hint of annoyance in his voice,

"I've told you already, it's Rick! Don't give me that number crap, jackass!"

The guard laughed as the door locked itself and as he walked off, Rick tore open the letter and laid eyes on the folded up paper inside. The message inside was short and to the point, but it was written with a high level of calligraphy that must have taken time to write. The message read,

 _Enjoy the potatoes._

 _-C.F._

At first, Rick was confused at the statement and tried rereading it a few times to find a code or hidden message of some sort. Suddenly, the whirring of the cell door's mechanic locks sounded and caused Rick to jump slightly from his spot on the bed. He yelled in annoyance,

"God Matt, the hell you want now? Jesus, you scared the shit out of me!"

The whirring stopped and the door opened to reveal a tall stranger in a full tuxedo with short, combed back hair. He had with him a small trolley that, on a silver plate, laid a rich, filet mignon and a side of green beans with mashed potatoes. The stranger pushed the trolley into the room and said to Rick,

"Please, enjoy your dinner."

As the stranger turned around and started to leave, Rick called out,

"Wait! Who the hell are you?"

The stranger stopped and turned to give Rick a small smirk and replied,

"They call me Butch. See you around, kid."

Then the man left the cell and closed the door behind him. Rick took no time to rush from his bed and start cutting into the steak with the fork and knife provided with the food, not even questioning the fact of the stranger who left it for him. He finished the steak in under five minutes and started to cut into the mashed potatoes, but when he took a scoop of them with his fork, he noticed a glossy, black surface beneath the remaining potatoes. Rick dropped the potatoes on his fork back onto the the plate and started to scrape the rest of them off of the black surface. When he finished, Rick took the object and found it to be a smartphone that was rather advanced, but way behind other models on the market. He smiled and said to himself,

"Well CF, whoever you are, thanks for the way out..."

He turned on the phone and easily used it to break into the Institutes security system and decided to take a peek at the camera guarding his hallway. As he pulled the feed up onto the phone, Rick noticed that no guards, not even Matt from earlier, was working in the hallway that night. Rick pulled away from the camera, but not without creating a fake feed loop of the hallway to send to the surveillance room in the prison, and accessed the locking system of his cell door. He broke the codes keeping it shut tight and once more, the mechanics in the door activated and Rick pushed the door open carefully to peek and check one last time if the coast was clear before he moved. Satisfied, Rick took no time to start sprinting down the hallway and through other parts of the prison until he stopped and crouched near the doors of the cafeteria, finding the lights on and and hearing the guards singing 'Happy Birthday' to what sounded to be the warden. Rick smirked and said to himself softly,

"Perfect, just the distraction I needed to..."

"Rick, is that you?"

Rick slowly turned his head to find Matt standing behind him, holding a slice of cake on a plastic plate. Hesitating only for a moment, Rick jumped into action and slammed the cake into Matt's face, making the guard go blind. In that fast moment, Rick took the taser and plastic nightstick that hung off Matt's belt and fired the electrical weapon at the guard. The guard seized from the electric shock for a only moment until he went unconscious and laid limp on the floor. Rick took a moment to catch his breath and said to the guard's unconscious form,

"Sorry Matt, hope you'll forgive me for this one day..."

He left Matt on the ground and quickly ran past the open cafeteria doors without being noticed and decided to find a way outside, hoping to find some way to escape. Suddenly, he stopped and back tracked for a minute to fins himself staring at the entrance to the Contraband Storage room, where everything from knifes to guns to clothes were stored away from prisoners until they were allowed to leave. Rick said to himself,

"Like hell if i'm getting out of here in a prison jumpsuit! Not my style..."

So, Rick made his way into the storage room, where rows upon rows of metal shelves held boxes of contraband taken from prisoners, and found a section full of civilian clothes. He dug through the dozens of boxes until he picked out and put on a pair of black Converse sneakers, dark jeans, a belt to hang his new taser and nightstick, a gray long-sleeve shirt, a back sleeve-less jacket with a hood, back finger-less gloves, a black-and-gray camo bandanna, and a pair of slick sunglasses on his head. He began to make his way out of the storage room, but not without first taking a simple black backpack and filling it with various smartphones and a few laptops for later use back home.

Rick made his way outside into the prison yard where a few guards were manning the rooftop of the main building. Lucky for him, the architects of the Institute were given land near the outskirts of Downtown Gotham, where low-class apartment buildings and shops neighbored near the prison. With this in mind, Rick climbed to the rooftops using fire escape ladders and window ledges until he reached the top. He silently ran to a large AC unit and was about to run again, until the main doorway to the rooftop burst open and dozens of guards swarmed with flashlights searching the roof. One officer called out,

"Keep your eyes peeled, the prisoner couldn't have made it too far! This was the last place surveillance saw him go!"

 _Damn_ , Rick thought angrily, _forgot about the rest of the cameras. I better think of something before they spot me..._

After a moment, Rick started to type into his phone again as the same officer yelled again,

"Prisoner 47589A, we have you surrounded! Reveal yourself and your punishment will not be as severe!"

Rick finished typing and slowly stood up with his hands in the air, but his phone was still in his hand. All of the guards turned to him and aimed their flashlights and pistols at him in a wide arc. The warden stepped forward and commanded to everyone present,

"Prisoner 47589A, I can forgive any youngster trying to leave this place, but using my birthday party as a way out is inexcusable! Any last words before we take you away, boy?"

Rick smirked and replied, "Well, I appreciate all the though into trying to catch me, I really do. So, I want to give y'all a deal: Let me leave peacefully, or I'll release the rest of the prisoners right here, right now!"

For a moment, all of the guards were stunned by Rick's threat, then they all started laughing hysterically while Rick only smirked, knowing something that they didn't. So, in retaliation, Rick turned his phone back on and pushed a button issuing the command code he created before revealing himself. Suddenly, all of the alarms went off and a radio call sounded from each of the officers saying,

"All guards, cell sections A-F have been released and the prisoners are trying to escape! This is not a drill! I repeat, this is not a drill!"

While the guards were distracted, Rick turned and sprinted to the end of the rooftop and made a giant leap across the street and was luckily able to grab hold of a window ledge as he missed his mark for the nearby roof. A trio of the roof guards ran after him and started shooting at him from the rooftop, causing Rick to drop down onto the street and run with the people on the street with him that were trying to not get shot. The guards eventually stopped firing as they watched their prisoner escape from sight in an alleyway as the warden approached beside of them with a flip phone in his hand. He pushed in a number and put the phone in his ear and said into it,

"It's done, the boy's escaped...Yes, I'll make sure Captain Essen won't get her hands on his case...Some lazy cops like likely get it and that'll be the end of it, I swear...Thank you sir, I'll gladly accept the money...Have a good night, sir."

* * *

 **A Few Hours Later, in the Early Morning...**

* * *

A tired Rick made his way slowly through the back streets of Gotham, exhausted after running and free-running across rooftops to escape the police from catching and putting him back in the Institute. He kept walking, but he eventually stopped near the end if the alley and leaned onto one of the walls. Rick looked out and saw an abandoned factory that acted like a secondary Flea unlike the one in the old theater. He sighed and said to himself,

"Almost there...yay"

So, he pushed himself off the wall and made his way towards one of the emergency exits when a voice behind him asked,

"Ricki? Is that you?"

Suspecting who it was, Rick turned to see a young girl with green eyes, frizzy hair underneath a gray hood, and a pair of green goggles on her head. She also wore a black leather jacket with ripped jeans that had leggings underneath, finger-less gloves like Rick's, and black combat boots on her feet. Rick chuckled at the surprised expression on the girls face and replied,

"How's it hanging, Cat?"

Before he could even finish, the girl rushed forward and socked Rick in the jaw, causing him to fall over from the impact. He loudly grunted in pain and asked,

"What the hell was that for!?"

"That was for getting caught and being in Juvie for a year. I thought you knew better then that, idiot!", the girl responded coolly

"Just needed a reminder of what happens when people like us get caught. I did this before Selina, and you didn't to punch me then..."

Rick started to get back to his feet when he saw Selina give him an outstretched hand, which Rick grinned at and took to heave himself up. He took a moment to dust himself off and ask,

"Now then, where were we?"

"The part where I tell you what's been happening from the year you've been locked up. Trust me when I say that something like this isn't a laughing matter, got it?", Selina responded with a serious expression on her face. Rick nodded in agreement and started to make his way to the door with Selina they both heard the distant sound of police cars in the distance and saw a few turn towards the Flea from various alleyways. They both looked at each other and Selina said,

"Let's get out of here..."

"No! Those kids in there are going to get thrown into Juvie if we don't warn them!"

"But we will to if we stay!"

"Then to hell with us! Are you with me or no?"

Selina paused for a moment, contemplating her options until she eventually sighed and shot back,

"I really hate you, you know?"

"I'll take that as a yes, then.", and Rick kicked the door open and called out to everyone inside,

"EVERYBODY OUT, WE GOT COPS INCOMING!"

This caused mass hysteria for the dozens of kids in the warehouse and many started screaming and running out of the several entrances and exits to the Flea in order to escape capture. Unfortunately, most of the cops had already parked outside of the Flea and were arresting kids here and there, but at least a few were able to escape from the scene. Rick took the taser hanging from his belt and tossed it towards Selina who caught it and was about to ask where he got it, but he interrupted her saying,

"I'll tell you about it later, we've got other things to worry about!", which Selina replied with a simple nod.

He then took the nightstick out as well and told continued,

"Alright then, let's go kick some ass!", and he ran forward at the cops, yelling curse words and swinging his nightstick around at the nearest cops.

* * *

"You know, Operation Kick-some-police-butt-into-next-week should have worked perfectly! I don't know how we could have screwed that up!"

"Rick...if you want to keep living...then just shut up"

Around ten minutes of fighting with the police, both Rick and Selina were easily overpowered and had received handcuffs as well as the loss of their weapons and Rick's backpack full of electronics. At that moment, Rick was in front of Selina as they waited in line for their names to be recorded down before entering one of the three buses that would take them to some new Juvenile Detention facility in Uptown Gotham. Rick was now at the head of the line and about to board the bus with Selina behind him. The guard recording names looked at Rick for a moment and asked,

"Name?"

"Oh, bite me, you know who I am.", Rick retorted.

The guard shrugged and replied, "Just wanted to give you a chance. Now in the bus!"

Rick rolled his eyes in exasperation and boarded the bus while the guard talked with Selina. He made his way into one of the middle seats while Selina stormed up behind him and roughly sat down beside him. Once she settled down, Selina put her hand in her jacket pocket and took out a small, heart-shaped locket that she opened to reveal two pictures of the same woman, who she believed was her mother. Although he didn't tell her, Rick doubted that Selina's mother was still alive and would find her unlike what his friend believed. In the seat across of them, a young boy was leaning onto the window and crying his eyes out from everything that had happened with the police. Selina noticed this and put the locket back where she got it and called out to the boy. He turned to look at Selina and she continued kindly,

"Relax kid, Juvie's not so bad! First week, whatever you do, don't make friends with anyone whose friendly; And when you get into a fight, go for the eyes!"

As she finished, she pretended to claw the boy and made him jump a little in fear. Then the hydraulics for the bus doors sounded and a cheerful woman's voice called out from the front of the bus and said,

"Hiya, kids! How ya doin? Are you ready to go on a big adventure?"

Rick smirked at the female guard's behavior until he saw Selina dart out of her seat and run towards the back of the bus. He peeked out from the city to find her trying to pry the emergency door open with the guard following behind her, telling her to get back in her seat. She pulled a gun out of her jacket, aimed at the back of Selina's head, and demanded,

"Sit down, young lady. Like, now!"

Silence emitted throughout the bus with everyone waiting to see what Selina and the guard would do. Eventually, Rick stood up and said to the two of them,

"C'mon Selina, don't throw your life away. Just sit down, okay?"

Hesitating for only a few seconds, Selina slowly walked back to her seat and dropped back into her seat as she gave Rick a dirty look. Satisfied, the guard walked back to the front of the bus and announced to everyone,

"Smart girl...Now, next naughty child to stand up gets a black spot, right here!", and she pointed directly between her eyes. The bus lurched and started to move away from the other buses as Rick whispered to Selina,

"I'm guessing this was what you wanted to tell me about, right?"

She nodded and he continued,

"Well then, let's see how this goes..."

"Are you crazy!?", Selina whispered back with clenched teeth.

"Possibly, but I want to know exactly what these guys want with us. Besides...", and pulled his phone out of his pocket, which the police missed in confiscating his stuff, "I've still got a few aces up my sleeves..."

* * *

After an hour or so, the bus parked inside of a warehouse near the Gotham Bay and the guards on the us started to escort the kids off the bus. Rick whispered to Selina as the others got up and made their way off the bus,

"Duck down, I'll create some distractions while you're here so you can get out and call for help, got it?"

Not saying a word, Selina easily slipped beneath the seats while Rick stepped over her and followed the other kids onto the bus. He and the others were led into a gray storage container while the guards encouraged the kids off the bus kindly, but not hiding the malice in their actions if anyone refused. Rick made his way into the container and behind the other crowd of kids with him. When he was certain that no one could see him, Rick took out his phone and accessed a security camera that overlooked most of the guards, the container, and the bus they traveled on. He watched as the female guard had a quick word with the bus driver and made her way onto the bus, then a few minutes later he saw Selina slip through the door of the bus and under the bus in the blink of an eye before anyone noticed. The female guard followed behind and talked more with the driver before giving him a high-five.

Seeing this, Rick hacked into the phone of one of the warehouse workers working near the bus and made a fake call for it. As it rang, the guard lowered the assault rifle in his hands and pulled the phone out of his pocket. As the guard put the phone up to his ear, Rick activated a kill code and the phone self destructed. The guard screamed in pain and fell over from the blast with the other guards rushing over to check on his condition. Selina darted out and made his way between two containers nearby before the other guards started to spread out and find the who caused the explosion. Rick flipped to a new camera as Selina was in the middle of scratching the eyes out a guard standing in another area in the warehouse. The guard ran back to where the others were while Selina hid behind a stack of crates, away from sight.

The sound of a gunshot emitted around the warehouse and the female guard made her way into the room Selina was in as they started to both dodge around the dozens of crates that stood between them. Eventually, Selina became cornered by the guard and she silently jumped up onto a stack of crates as the guard turned to where she originally hid with her gun drawn. She was confused for only a second and dropped her arm holding the gun until a small 'plink' was heard and the guard saw a locket on the ground in front of her. She looked up and smiled as she locked eyes with a crouching and fearful Selina gazing back at her. Selina slowly stood up as the guard lifted the gun at her and said,

"Well...you are a VERY naughty little girl!"

She cocked the gun and Rick was about to hack and call her phone like he did with the previous guard when a man with short hair, a business suit, and a police badge on the belt of his pants slammed into her. The guard fell, and the police officer looked up at Selina, who had lowered her hands after having the guard's gun aimed at her her. Rick thought to himself, _Well well, this is new. A_ helpful _cop! It's a Christmas miracle!_

"Hi", the cop said breathlessly, "What's your name?"

"Why's that any of your business?", Selina sarcastically replied.

It looked like he wanted to retort, but decided not to as footsteps were heard and another man came up to the cop with a gun against the head of the bus driver. The man called out, "Jim!", who Rick and guessed was the name of the cop. Jim went up to the guard and asked,

"Where are the kids?"

When the guard stayed quiet, Rick had an idea and started to connect to Jim's phone and add a voice modifier on his end.

"I said, where are the...", Jim began, but Rick chose this moment to ring Jim's phone with the Imperial March song from Star Wars. For a moment, no one moved, then Jim dug into his pocket, and without looking at the caller ID, he put it to his ear and asked,

"Hello, who is this?"

"Greetings Jim, I heard you were looking for where those kids were, am I right?", Rick calmy said through the voice mod, which made his voice sound deeper more broken up then his own. Jim replied,

"Who the hell is this?"

"Someone who really, and I mean REALLY, wants to get out of this storage container along with the others in here with me."

"Okay, then where are you?"

"The girl knows. Put me on the phone with her if you want to find us."

Hesitantly, Jim held his phone out to Selina who quickly took it from his hand and spoke into it,

"You hacked a cops phone?"

"What do you think, it's getting stuffy in here!", Rick replied without the voice mod.

"Sigh...fine, see you in a bit..."

"Yay, second escape of the day!"

* * *

"Boo, I'm behind bars again! What the hell, Jimbo!"

"Don't call me that."

"Oh, bite me!"

After helping Jim Gordon and his partner, who Rick learned was named Harvey Bullock, all of the kids were taken to the GCPD and were given clothes donated from the Wayne Foundation that day. After a few hours of paper work, the officer in charge of Juvenile Services at the station began to escort groups of the kids to a bus that would take them to the new Juvenile Institute in Upstate Gotham. Unfortunately, Rick was being charged with manslaughter after blowing up one of the kidnapper's ears, which was apparently an inexcusable crime in Gordon's books.

"I didn't _want_ to kill him, I just needed a distraction!"

"Yeah, and that distraction's going to get you around ten years in Blackgate once you're 18!"

For a moment, both males just stared at each other in a poor excuse for a staring contest when the officer from Juvenile Services walked up to the Precinct cell that Jim threw Rick into when they arrived and whispered something into his ear. Jim nodded and told Rick to stay there, which Rick snorted at and sarcastically told Jim as he walked off,

"Sure, it's not like I'm locked up here or anything. Oh wait, I AM!"

Rick slouched down on the side of his cell until he was sitting on the floor and waited as Jim came back to his cell with Selina, who was smirking and had a mischievous look in her eye. They stayed their for a moment until Rick stated definitely,

"Well I'm not getting back up again, so you better come down to my level!"

Shrugging at the same time, Jim and Selina bent down and Jim whispered to the two teens,

"Okay, this stay's between the three of us for the time being. Selina says she was police information that she'll reveal as long as I free the both of you and your manslaughter charge is...overlooked, Rick"

Rick rolled his eyes and whispered back,

"Just say it's a phone malfunction, copper. Shit like that happens all the time, and it's easily forgotten. That enough for you?"

Jim nodded and asked Selina what she knew. She gave a solemn expression and whispered even softer then the two males,

"I saw who really killed the Wayne's...saw him clear as day..."

Silence grew between the three. In Selina's thoughts, her plan of escape was working perfectly, while Jim became hopeful of the prospect of finding the real man behind the death's of Thomas and Martha Wayne. But not Rick, who stated curiously,

"Wait, the Wayne's are dead?"

* * *

 **Rick, you ignorant Bastard XD! God, this took forever to write, but I hope you guys enjoy it! Please share what you think with a Follow, Favorite, or Review and I'll send Ep. 3 out soon...probably next week...yeah. Until then!**

 **-T.W.**

* * *

 _ **Next Time, on Gotham...**_

 _ **"Still got that pick from your birthday?"**_

 _ **"Balloons? What the hell?"**_

 _ **"Smell you later, copper!"**_

 _ **"Wait, YOU**_ _ **helped me out?!"**_

 _ **"Let's get this party started!"**_


	3. Episode 3: Opportunity

**So first off, I apologize for the lateness of this chapter. From multiple moments of writer's block to various projects at school due this week, I've had some difficulties, but here it is for your viewing pleasure! Now, I'd like to extend my thanks to mitchswarwig15 and Incarnate47 for being the first to write reviews for Year of the Hacker, it means so much to me to hear opinions on my story and I hope others will write their own as well. I'd also like to say that my next chapter might be a bit late like this one because of Thanksgiving, but we'll see. Until then, please enjoy this new chapter of Year of the Hacker, and be sure to share what you think at the end!**

* * *

 _ **Gotham: Year of the Hacker**_

 _ **Episode 3: Opportunity/The Balloonman**_

* * *

 _ **Last time, on Gotham...**_

 **"I've told you already, it's Rick!"**

 **"They call me Butch. See you around, kid."**

 **"Ricki? Is that you?"**

 **"Who the hell is this?"**

 **"The Wayne's are dead?"**

* * *

Rick yawned as he and Selina were being driven back to the GCPD after spending a night in the new Juvenile Institute upstate. In the early hours of the morning, both teens were roused from their cells and thrown into the car of a Juvenile Services employee to be taken to Det. Gordon thanks to Selina's info on the Wayne murders. As they were driven, Selina feel back asleep in the back seat while Rick was busy fiddling with the radio to find a good station to listen to until the driver turned the radio off. Rick snorted and retorted,

"Fine then, it's not like anything was good anyways..."

The employee sighed and asked,

"Why can't you kids just accept the help we give to you? We're trying to help you!"

"What are you _on_ right now, and can I possibly have some of that?"

The driver sighed and went didn't answer Rick as he found a parking place near the entrance to the GCPD, which woke Selina from her car/cat nap. He escorted both teens into the station and led them to Gordon and Bullocks desks on the raised platform near the Captain's office. The three of them overheard the conversation between both detectives as Gordon asked,

"So just let his killer go free?"

Harvey replied, "If the guy walks in here and holds out his hands, I'll arrest him. Otherwise, I'm content that justice was served!"

"Like with the Wayne's? Is that what you mean?"

"Mario Pepper killed the Wayne's, we killed Pepper, so the case is closed."

The J.S. worker walked up to the two cops and asked,

"Detective Gordon? I'm Davis Lamond from Juvenile Services, you asked to see Selina Kyle and Richard Hawkins. Could you sign for custody?"

While both men were working out their paperwork, Selina and Rick both slowly walked behind Bullock as he worked and Selina lightly fished around his pocket. Rick was more focused on the square-bulge he hoped was a phone in the detectives right hand pocket, but he bid his time. When Harvey turned and told Selina to back off, Rick quickly and efficiently pulled the phone from his pocket. When he assumed Selina was far enough away from him, Harvey turned back to his partner and asked,

"Wait, are these two part of the group that was snatched?

Jim looked away as Bullock continued, clearly aggravated by his answer,

"ANOTHER closed case?! What is it about the word 'closed' do you not understand?!"

"This is something else. Look, just read the letters, track the balloons, and I'll be back in an hour."

As Jim began leading the teens out as Harvey sarcastically replied,

"Sure boss, get right on it..."

Then, as the three of them were about to leave, Rick and Selina heard someone yell from behind them,

"Has anyone seen my pen? Or my phone?"

Wile Jim was too busy searching his pockets for his car keys, both teens fist-bumped at their first successful pick of the day.

* * *

About half an hour later, Jim parked his cars and lead the teens down a normal alleyway in Gotham's Theater District. As they walked, Selina asked the detective,

"So why do you care about who really killed the Wayne's?"

"Because I want to see the person responsible brought to justice." Selina scoffed and replied,

"Did you read that in a book or something?"

Sighing, Jim continued,

"And...I made a promise to the boy."

Jim then took Rick by the arm and lead him over to a fire escape as he explained,

"It's not that I don't trust you to stay here while me and Selina talk, but the thing is...I don't."

The detective pulled a pair of handcuffs from his pocket and strapped the teen to the railing as Rick shrugged and replied,

"Whatever, I still get to know what the hell happened here, which none of you have yet to explain to me by the way!"

Ignoring him, Jim walked back over to Selina and asked for to tell him what she knew. She smirked and pointed down the alleyway and said,

"The killer came from there. He took the man's wallet and the woman's necklace, then shot them both. He left the boy alive. I was up there...", and Selina pointed to the railing above Rick's head to share her hiding place. She was about to continue until the cuffed teen asked,

"I don't mean to interrupt, but who's this 'boy' you guys keep talking about? You know you stink at telling stories, Cat!"

Selina growled and replied, "Oh, shut up Rick! At least _I'm_ not strapped up like a dog!"

Rick was about to retort until Jim told them to stop bickering and told Selina they knew that already. He also said that the killer's face was covered, but Selina replied,

"Not at first. He pulled up his scarf when he walked towards them, so I saw him for a second."

"You saw his face, in the dark?", Jim asked skeptically. Selina squinted in annoyance and replied,

"I can _see_ in the dark."

Seeing that the detective didn't completely believe her, Rick spoke up again and said,

"She's not lying! There's a few reasons why we call Selina 'Cat', and her eyesight's only one of them."

Jim looked towards Rick with an annoyed expression said,

"There's still the question about whether she's lying about what she saw, and the question about if she was even here in the first place!"

"I already told you, I stole some guys wallet before it happened! I was like, two blocks from here! Didn't he report it?" Selina replied.

Jim sighed in defeat and said,

"Yes, a man did report his wallet stolen by someone matching your description, and yes, the timing does work out to before the Wayne's were murdered. But that still doesn't place you here!"

"What if I told you I dumped the wallet?", Selina asked. Jim was about to ask where until Rick called out for a third time and said,

"Ah, don't tell him where it is, Cat! I want first dibs on cracking his credit card info!"

"That's enough from you! One more word and I'm not waiving your manslaughter charge, got it?!" Jim yelled. Rick shrugged and sat down on the fire escape's steps while Selina pointed to a manhole cover and explained that she threw it in there. Jim groaned and said,

"The sewer...great. But unfortunately, I trust you as much as I trust Rick. So until I can confirm your story, I'll leave you here with Rick", and he pulled another pair of handcuffs from is suit jacket and lead her to Rick. Selina asked,

"You find the wallet, you let us both go, right? That was our deal."

"No. I find the wallet, so that places you here. But, we still have to find the guy."

"That's bull!", Selina retorted. Jim simply replied,

"That's the deal."

Jim turned and walked back to the manhole and started to pull off the lid to the sewer. Rick whispered to Selina as the detective climbed down the built-in ladder,

"Please tell me you still got that lock pick I got you for Christmas, right?"

Sighing, Selina replied, "No, they frisked it off of me. But, I got something even better!", and she pulled out the open she swiped from Bullock back in the Police Station. Rick nodded in understanding as she used the clip of the pen to get into the lock, and after a few seconds of jiggering it around, she broke lose of her restraints. She did the same for Rick and released both pairs of handcuffs, causing Rick to say,

"I didn't know you were into that kinda stuff, Cat..."

Blushing, Selina punched Rick in the shoulder, which only made him laugh, and stomped over to the manhole. As she walked, Rick heard a whistle from the other end of the alley and turned his head to see who it was. He saw a black limo with tinted windows parked near the street with the same man who helped him escape, who he believed was named Butch, leaning against the hood with his arms crossed and a smirk on his face. The leaning man gestured his head towards the limo and Rick, understanding what he was saying, nodded and held up a finger to tell Butch to give him a minute. He made his way over to Selina as she dropped both pairs of handcuffs into the sewer and Jim, who was still in the sewer, telling her to stop before screaming in annoyance. Selina went over to Rick and asked,

"So, where do we go? We don't have much time until he gets out of there."

Rick pointed behind him, where Butch and the limo stood, and replied,

"Apparently, I've got a ride. The guy back there helped bust me out of Juvie before that whole kidnapping crap went down. Want to come?"

She shrugged and the two of them ran over to the limo and Butch held out the door to the limo's backseat as both teens jumped in. Butch closed the door behind him and after a minute, they felt the limo move as he began to drive them out of the alley. Taking a minute to adjust to the limo's dark lighting, Rick noticed that they weren't alone and saw an African-American woman with short, black hair except for some of the tips that were dyed red sitting on a black leather seat near the wall that separated them from the drivers seat. He noticed her dress and earrings, which both looked to have cost a few hundred dollars, and then stopped his observations as the woman began to speak,

"You know, there's plenty of seats in here. You two don't need to lay there on the floor..."

The teens scrambled a bit to get off the floor of the limo and get into the only other seat available near the back door. Once they got comfortable, the woman sitting opposite them continued,

"Now then, I'll start simply. I'm sure you know who I am, right?"

Rick nodded slightly and asked,

"You're Fish Mooney, right? It's been a while since I've been to your club..."

The woman chuckled and answered,

"Indeed, but I remember you just fine Mr. Hawkins. Just seeing you now takes me back to the times when you cheated out all the poker players who've long since stayed away from my place of business. I will say that those cheap bastards weren't missed in the slightest."

Sighing, Rick replied, "Yeah, good times..."

"But, I've haven't got you here to go down memory lane. You see, me and my boss have taken quite an interest in you since you got caught by the police. Although his reasons are unknown to me, I have a different proposition in mind..."

"Wait," Rick interrupted, "I know Butch helped, but you and your 'Boss' helped break me-"

"DO NOT interrupt me, you brat!", Fish yelled. Rick stopped talking, but after a brief minute of quiet, Fish sighed and said,

"Sorry about that. I've had most of my morning get taken up by some detectives from the Major Crimes Unit, and I'm not too happy about it. But yes, we orchestrated your escape as well as paying off the warden to hold of your search until you were off their grounds. Does that answer your question?"

Rick nodded, still a bit scared of talking after Fish's outburst, and the club owner continued,

"Now, I've taken some interest in the music you released before being put behind bars. Old and new songs being mashed together, remixed, redone, it's very impressive stuff, really! I need some of that for my business as soon as I can! So, I want to hire you to play in my club from time-to-time. It's got a good pay, most drinks are free, and I wont charge you for tips. What do you think?"

Rick just sat there, not saying a word, but what was obviously thinking about Fish's proposal. Slowly, he started to smile and said to her,

"Getting some face-time for my work, AND getting paid? I could definitely use some more cash, so count me in!"

Fish smiled and clapped her hands together in excitement. She replied,

"Oh, wonderful, I knew you would say yes! Come to the club tonight and we'll get you set up for your first performance, okay? Make sure to wear something nice, this isn't some dive you'll be working in now!"

"Sure...wait, tonight?!"

"Oh look, we're here!"

The limo stopped and the teens looked out to see they were in front of the Flea, still old and rotting from years of 'misuse'. They watched as Butch came by and opened the door for them as other street kids started to poke their heads out of various hiding places, trying to see who was in the limo. Somewhat reluctantly, Rick climbed out with Selina close behind and Butch closed the door behind him. Before leaving, he said,

"I'll come by here around 9, make sure your stuffs together or I'll leave without you. Got it?"

Rick answered, "Yeah, and thanks again for your help back in the Institute. I'd probably still be there if it wasn't for you."

Butch didn't reply, except for a small shrug, and walked back to the drivers seat and drove away from the Flea. As they watched the limo drive away, Selina asked,

"Well, that was kinda awkward...she didn't even say a _word_ to me!"

"Hey, you're not the one being told to preform by a crime boss!", Rick retorted angrily. Smirking in satisfaction, Selina started to walk through the front doors of the Flea and said to Rick as she walked,

"I know..."

She pushed the door open and walked through, leaving Rick outside. As the door swung closed, Rick sighed and repeated to himself as he began to follow Selina,

"It's always me. Why is it always me! Always me..."

* * *

Like he did so many times before getting caught, Rick made his way down the stairs set-up backstage of the theater and came across three objects in a small room. The first was an old and broken cupboard set off to one side, a door made with tinted as well as bulletproof class, and a keypad connected to the door.

He walked over to the cupboard and opened one of its small doors with a small hole, where a small security camera was installed to view any intruders. Satisfied with its condition, Rick then made his way to the door and inputted a 5-digit code of 92214 into the keypad. After a few seconds to authorize the code, the door slid open with a metallic clunk and behind it were more stairs leading downward. Rick started walking down this new set of stairs as the door closed behind him and at the bottom, he found his home. Now when he discovered it, the theater's basement was completely empty except for a mattress in the corner. But over the years, Rick had stolen enough hardware, filing cabinets, and computers to turn the entire area into what he called the 'Tech Cave' **(Search for Kinzie's Warehouse from Saint's Row 3 for a better visual)**.

Sitting on one of the many office chairs spread around the room, Selina was watching a documentary about cats on one of the monitors and was mimicking the actions the cats did. Rick left her alone and went over to a table covered with various launchpads, CDs, and a laptop packed with various playlists of remixes/mashups of songs he came up with. He pulled a duffel bag out from underneath the table and started to load the equipment into it carefully to make sure it wouldn't break on the way to the club that night. While he packed, he called out to Selina,

"Hey Cat, got any ideas for what I should wear tonight? I'm not exactly the whole 'dress to impress' kind of guy...Cat?"

Rick took a moment to turn his head and jumped a bit as he saw Selina gazing at him with an evil grin and a malicious look in her eyes. She jumped up from her seat and started pulling Rick back up the stairs to the Flea while saying to herself,

"It's time for my revenge...it's time for my revenge..."

Rick gulped in fear and thought to himself, _Oh God, what monster have I unleashed upon myself..._

* * *

 **Several Hours Later...**

* * *

"C'mon Selina, I feel like a waiter!"

"Are you kidding? You look great Ricki!"

After trying on numerous clothes around the Flea, Selina finally settled on getting Rick in a pair of black leather loafers, black pants with with a belt, a white button-down shirt, an unbuttoned black vest, and a dark green skinny tie worn somewhat loosely around his neck. Rick kept modeling himself in front of the cracked and dirty mirror in front of him, saying as he moved,

"Okay fine, I guess I look good, but it feels like I'm missing something...Oh, I know!"

He bent down and opened up the duffel bag of DJ equipment and fished out a pair of headphones with the same color scheme as his tie and placed them around his neck. He said with a satisfied manner,

"There, just what I needed! Now how about it, huh?"

Selina just giggled to herself and replied,

"C'mon you idiot, your ride will be here soon..."

"Wait, you aren't coming with me?" Rick asked.

"Nah, this is your debut, I don't want to impose."

"Are you serious right now? You're the one who wanted me to publish my music online in the first place! You _have_ to come!"

Selina just shook her head as a car's horn could be heard outside. She replied,

"Too late for that; Now go, you have a club to preform in..."

"Okay, but I'll get you a ticket for next time...well, if there's a next time."

The honking sounded again and Rick zipped his duffel back up and started carrying it with him out the front doors of the theater. Just as he put his other hand on the door, he heard Selina say to him,

"Break a leg out there, Ricki."

He paused for a moment, then continuing out the door while saying thanks to Selina. Rick saw Butch in the drivers seat with the windows down as he closed the door behind him. Rick walked up to Butch as the man in question asked,

"Well, you ready to go?"

"Hell yeah, let's do this!", Rick answer enthusiastically and got into the back of the limo as it drove off into Gotham.

* * *

After a few minutes, the limo stopped and Butch got out to hold the door open for Rick. The teen stepped out and viewed the familiar entrance to Fish's club, from the normal brick walls lining the street to the red neon sign of fish bones near the door. Butch locked the limo and led Rick off to an alley beside the club and into a side door that led backstage. Inside, Rick could here the dozens of clubbers cheering on a rock band playing for them at the moment. As they played, Butch brought over a folding table and gave Rick his best wishes as the teen started to set up his equipment, which mainly entitled connecting his turntable and launchpads to the speakers and turning on his laptop to some of his previous playlists. When everything was ready, the band onstage finished their song and were given a standing ovation as they left the stage. Rick could hear the sounds of clicking heels and heard Fish over the speakers saying,

"Well, that was wonderful! Now, before we end off for the evening, I have a special guest performing tonight! Please give it up for Mister Richard Hawkins!"

The curtain came up and the audience clapped respectively as Fish handed the mic over to Rick. As she walked off the stage, Rick said to everyone,

"Alright, thanks everyone! Now who's ready to party?"

After getting cheered on by the crowd again, Rick pulled up his playlist and selected Sia's song Cheap Thrills and a few seconds later, all three launchpads were inputted with various sounds from the original song. He took a deep breath in, lowered his hands over the pads, and began to play.

 **Sia ft. Sean Paul - Cheap Thrills (Sehck Remix)**

 _Come on, come on, turn the radio on_

 _It's Friday night and I won't be long_  
 _Gotta do my hair, I put my make up on_  
 _It's Friday night and I won't be long_

 _Til I hit the dance floor_  
 _Hit the dance floor_  
 _I got all I need_  
 _No I ain't got cash_  
 _No I ain't got cash_  
 _But I got you baby_

 _Baby I don't need dollar bills to have fun tonight_  
 _(I love cheap thrills)_  
 _Baby I don't need dollar bills to have fun tonight_  
 _(I love cheap thrills)_  
 _But I don't need no money_  
 _As long as I can feel the beat_  
 _I don't need no money_  
 _As long as I keep dancing_

 _Come on, come on, turn the radio on_  
 _It's Saturday and I won't be long_  
 _Gotta paint my nails, put my high heels on_  
 _It's Saturday and I won't be long_

 _Til I hit the dance floor_  
 _Hit the dance floor_  
 _I got all I need_  
 _No I ain't got cash_  
 _No I ain't got cash_  
 _But I got you baby_

 _Baby I don't need dollar bills to have fun tonight_  
 _(I love cheap thrills)_  
 _Baby I don't need dollar bills to have fun tonight_  
 _(I love cheap thrills)_  
 _But I don't need no money_  
 _As long as I can feel the beat_  
 _I don't need no money_  
 _As long as I keep dancing_

 _(I love cheap thrills)_  
 _(I love cheap thrills)_  
 _I don't need no money_  
 _As long as I can feel the beat_  
 _I don't need no money_  
 _As long as I keep dancing_  
 _Oh, oh_

 _Baby I don't need dollar bills to have fun tonight_  
 _(I love cheap thrills)_  
 _Baby I don't need dollar bills to have fun tonight_  
 _(I love cheap thrills)_  
 _I don't need no money_  
 _As long as I can feel the beat_  
 _I don't need no money_  
 _As long as I keep dancing_

 _La, la, la, la, la, la_  
 _(I love cheap thrills)_  
 _La, la, la, la, la, la_  
 _(I love cheap thrills)_  
 _La, la, la, la, la, la_  
 _(I love cheap thrills)_  
 _La, la, la, la, la_  
 _(I love cheap thrills)_

 **End Song**

As Rick finished, the entire club was on their feet and applauding the teen. They even started calls for "One last song!", as Fish came back up on the stage to lead Rick off to the audience. Luckily, the people didn't completely mob him as Fish took him to a booth where an old man wearing a sharp grey suit sat with a glass of wine. As the two sat down, the man said,

"Ah, Mr. Hawkins, we finally meet! That was a nice performance up there, I must say."

Rick smiled and replied,

"Thanks, sir. Now, no offense, but...who are you?"

The old man chuckled and answered,

"My name is Carmine Falcone, perhaps you've heard of me?"

Rick's eyes went wide and he fished in his pants pocket to pull out the latter he received from the Institute. He showed to Falcone and asked,

"You're C.F. then, right?"

When he mob boss nodded, Rick let out a sigh of relief and said,

"Good, for a minute there I thought Carrie Fisher broke me out of Juvie..."

The mob boss chuckled at the teen and replied,

"Well, that's a new one. Most people just get scared and start handing me their life savings, but this is a breath of fresh air for me."

"Okay then, if you don't mind me asking, why _did_ you break me out? Seems to me that you put a lot of trouble into getting me out..."

"Indeed I did. You see, the other day, my bodyguard Vic was listening to some of your work and when we talked about it, you reminded me of how I was during my teen years. So many dreams with so many possibilities, and I wanted to give you the same possibilities I had. Now the question is, do you want to take it?"

Rick didn't reply at first as he thought about his options, but after a little bit, he answered,

"Okay, but I want something in return. If you can get your hands on a Solidbox 2550 for me, then we have a deal!"

"A Solid-what?", Falcone asked.

"The Solidbox 2550 is one of the most advanced 3D printers Wayne Tech's yet to release onto the consumer market. If you can get me one, I'll work with you, okay?"

Falcone nodded and replied,

"I'll see what I can dig up on it. Until then, Mr. Hawkins, it's been a pleasure doing business with you." and both men shook each other's hands. Fish, who had been quiet for the whole conversation, spoke up and and said,

"Well Richard, I daresay that you still have time for another song before we close for the night."

Rick agreed and thanked Falcone for his time as he walked back to the stage. As he went away from the booth, Fish asked Falcone,

"Are you sure he'll go along with us? People like him aren't usually good with authority..."

Falcone replied smoothly,

"We'll see, but for now, have Butch keep an eye on him. I want to know if we need to have any leverage over him in the future."

Fish nodded and told him she would go tell Butch. As she walked off, Falcone took a sip from his wine glass, savoring the taste as he drank it. When he finished, he smiled to himself and said,

"I hope you'll be ready Maroni. It seems like I've got a new ace in the hole...

* * *

 **Uh oh, Falcone is planning something...but that'll be for a later chapter. Now, I have a special test for all of you readers out there. Whoever answers each of the two questions below the fastest in the Reviews, I'll give you a shoutout in the next chapter. The questions are:**

 **1) What's the secret behind the code 92214?**

 **2) Where is the origin of the Solidbox 2550? HINT: It's NOT Wayne Tech**

 **Also, I think I'm going to stop the whole 'Next Time on Gotham..." stuff since the end result of my chapters doesn't always match with what I wrote in the previous chapter, but I will keep 'Last Time, on Gotham'. Well, I hope you enjoyed this chapter and please share what you think with a Review, Favorite, or Follow. Until next time!**

 **-T.W.**


	4. A Brief Pause

**I know it's been while since I posted a chapter, and I need to tell you, my readers why. I left with my family on a brief holiday vacation to celebrate Thanksgiving with my grandmother, but also to attend the funeral service of my late grandfather who died in the spring. For now, I need to be with and support my family through these next few days and I promise to post a new chapter as soon as I can. Thank you for your patience and I hope that you continue to support me as I write.**

 **-T.W.**


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